Examiner’s Specific Advice

This question requires a range of skills and a focus on explanation rather than description. You need to find a range of reasons (three or more) for Truman’s decision and link those reasons explicitly to the situation of the war in 1945. If possible, make links and connections between the various factors involved, perhaps differentiating which reasons were more influential than others. Be careful not to take too long over this 12-mark question – it is important to be concise and to judge the length of your answer to the marks allocated.

Exemplar Question

2 (03) Explain why the US used atomic bombs against Japan in 1945.    [12 marks]

Plan

• Explain the context of the war against Japan in 1945
• Produce a range of reasons why President Truman wanted to use the atom bomb at that stage in the war
• Consider in the conclusion any links that interrelate these reasons; or any judgements that differentiate which reasons were more decisive than others (or why the reasons in favour of using the bomb were more powerful than the reasons against using it)

View Exemplar Answer 1

View Exemplar Answer 2